And then there were two, the Cavs and Warriors

[Melancer46]

On a finals-centric note, it will be interesting to see what Cleveland does to retool. Obviously, they had some injuries, but Thompson's agent has made it known that his client will be seeking a max contract. Can they afford to have FOUR of those type of players on the team, from a luxury tax perspective? Will they look to move a highly tradeable asset like Irving [who is so young, with his best basketball ahead of him] for assets that would enable them to upgrade the quality of their roster? Do they enter next season relying upon fragile pieces of the puzzle like Love / Irving, who are still generally playoff un-battle tested [relatively speaking]? Or do they stand pat, see what drops to them in the draft, and cross their fingers that everyone stays healthy next year?

Should be interesting.

I will be surprised if Thompson gets a max even with the weird summer before the big cap jump. I suspect LeBron and Love will opt out and sign new deals. JR Smith is supposedly opting out. In all likelihood, they'll simply try to bring everyone back, pay a monster luxury tax penalty, and draft smart. They don't really have any other course of action besides maybe trading Varejao.

 

[Knicks411]

If I were Golden State, I'd think long and hard before maxing out Klay Thompson.

Are you also thinking about buying a time machine? Because they signed the extension last October

 

[Melancer46]

If I were Golden State, I'd think long and hard before maxing out Klay Thompson.

You know they already extended him, right? He got 4 years, $70 million

 

[Knicks411]

They weren't "that" good. They made the WCF and were in the West, not the East.

My point was just that I hope NY somehow gets Melo a legit roster because he's only ever had a decent roster for a few years in Denver and in that time period they actually made the WCF. CP3 has some talent and can't advance. Melo's label of not being able to advance is kind of bs.

Well mainly I meant in comparison to the Cavs. I'd in no way say Melo has had terrible supporting casts year in and year out, and certainly nothing comparable to what Lebron dragged to 2 wins over a team that won 67 games this year.

The Paul point is fair; he was so amazing this playoffs I hate to knock him, but he's had even less playoff success than Melo, right? Never made a conference finals.

 

[longislandcuse]

Are you also thinking about buying a time machine? Because they signed the extension last October

Er, I meant the next extension?

My bad, i'll own it.

 

[Melancer46]

Good point about the 3 and D guys--but I'm just not sure who that player [or players] would be. If they can sign Aldridge and draft Anderson, that would be a Spurs-esque set of moves. But neither of those things is a guarantee.

I'd say that it is more likely that Aldridge signs with Dallas for more money [total speculation on my part], the Spurs keep Green, they move Splitter and sign a MLE upgrade to play some center, they draft a quality guy who bolsters depth, etc.

I'm not positive, but I think the Spurs will be able to offer LaMarcus a max deal, so the Mavs can't offer more money.

But anyways, the Spurs should have a lot of flexibility this summer.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I will be surprised if Thompson gets a max even with the weird summer before the big cap jump. I suspect LeBron and Love will opt out and sign new deals. JR Smith is supposedly opting out. In all likelihood, they'll simply try to bring everyone back, pay a monster luxury tax penalty, and draft smart. They don't really have any other course of action besides maybe trading Varejao.

Gilbert has said he's willing to pay salaries of up to 110 million, so money shouldn't be a factor for anything Cleveland does.

 

[Knicks411]

I'm not positive, but I think the Spurs will be able to offer LaMarcus a max deal, so the Mavs can't offer more money.

But anyways, the Spurs should have a lot of flexibility this summer.

They also need to figure out what they're doing with Duncan and Manu. If one or both retire, they have a lot of space to play with. LMA has been mentioned, how much of a spurs player would Marc Gasol be?

 

[Melancer46]

They also need to figure out what they're doing with Duncan and Manu. If one or both retire, they have a lot of space to play with. LMA has been mentioned, how much of a spurs player would Marc Gasol be?

Yeah Gasol is an obvious fit too. I just don't think he's going anywhere, whereas I think Aldridge will consider it.

I suspect Duncan and Ginobili will both be back, but with or without them, they should have space for a max contract.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I'm not positive, but I think the Spurs will be able to offer LaMarcus a max deal, so the Mavs can't offer more money.

But anyways, the Spurs should have a lot of flexibility this summer.

The attraction to the Mavs has to do with a former assistant in Portland who is now in Dallas.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Well mainly I meant in comparison to the Cavs. I'd in no way say Melo has had terrible supporting casts year in and year out, and certainly nothing comparable to what Lebron dragged to 2 wins over a team that won 67 games this year.

The Paul point is fair; he was so amazing this playoffs I hate to knock him, but he's had even less playoff success than Melo, right? Never made a conference finals.

We need to stop calling Chris Paul the leagues best PG. He's a great player, but teams don't design entire defenses to get the ball out of his hands like they do with Steph.

 

[Knicks411]

The attraction to the Mavs has to do with a former assistant in Portland who is now in Dallas.

Also he's from Dallas. But the Spurs are the Spurs

 

[longislandcuse]

We need to stop calling Chris Paul the leagues best PG. He's a great player, but teams don't design entire defenses to get the ball out of his hands like they do with Steph.

Steph is without a doubt the league's best PG. I don't even think it's close. CP3 is great and had some awesome playoff performances this year but he's not on Steph's level.

Westbrook is up there but he's more of a combo guard so I don't know where to rank him aside from the fact that along with Steph, KD, Lebron and fill in the blank (Harden?), he's a Top 5 NBA Player.

 

[Melancer46]

We need to stop calling Chris Paul the leagues best PG. He's a great player, but teams don't design entire defenses to get the ball out of his hands like they do with Steph.

Eh, I'd still lean towards him as the best PG. Teams absolutely design their defense to try to stop him; it's just nearly impossible because he can either kill you with his passing or he can kill you with his scoring. Curry is a better shooter, but Paul is still an elite shooter, better inside, better passer, and far better defender.

 

[longislandcuse]

Eh, I'd still lean towards him as the best PG. Teams absolutely design their defense to try to stop him; it's just nearly impossible because he can either kill you with his passing or he can kill you with his scoring. Curry is a better shooter, but Paul is still an elite shooter, better inside, better passer, and far better defender.

Is he though? Steph's not a bad defender, although CP3 is better. Steph might be the best shooter ever. Period. I put Steph's handle, vision and passing right there with CP3.

 

[MikeSU02]

Also he's from Dallas. But the Spurs are the Spurs

Spurs will be contenders still. Best run organization in the league.

Short term, they make the run at LMA or Gasol. Patty Mills will be better than Parker in a year or two. Even if they just run it back with the same team, they will be fine. They were one win away from being the two seed after having a laundry list of injuries that won't happen again.

Long term, if I were them, I would be laying the groundwork for a run at Ant Davis.

 

[MikeSU02]

Is he though? Steph's not a bad defender, although CP3 is better. Steph might be the best shooter ever. Period. I put Steph's handle, vision and passing right there with CP3.

CP3 is the best pure PG and best defender at the position.

Steph is the best shooter and has the best handle (maybe Kyrie has a claim to that).

They aren't the same type of PG. Depends on what you have/need, imo.

 

[Melancer46]

Is he though? Steph's not a bad defender, although CP3 is better. Steph might be the best shooter ever. Period. I put Steph's handle, vision and passing right there with CP3.

Steph isn't a Harden-esq defender, but he's easy to beat off the dribble; he just has a lot of help around him. He can jump some passing lanes, but he's an average or below average defender, while CP3 is among the top 3 for PGs. I agree Curry's arguably the best shooter ever.

While Curry has a great handle, vision, and passing ability, he's much more loose with his handle than CP3 and isn't quite there mentally as a passer compared to CP3. That's why he turns it over so much more despite not passing the ball as much. CP3 isn't as flashy, but he's got a huge advantage defensively, is still one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA regardless of position, and is the best passer/ball-handler in the league.

Curry will surpass him soon since he's so much younger, but for me, CP3 is still the best PG.

 

[longislandcuse]

CP3 is the best pure PG and best defender at the position.

Steph is the best shooter and has the best handle (maybe Kyrie has a claim to that).

They aren't the same type of PG. Depends on what you have/need, imo.

I'd say Curry's handle might be the best I've ever seen. It's probably in conjunction with his shooting. He can put dudes on spin cycle and then pull up and drain a shot from anywhere making it look that much nastier.

 

[MikeSU02]

I'd say Curry's handle might be the best I've ever seen. It's probably in conjunction with his shooting. He can put dudes on spin cycle and then pull up and drain a shot from anywhere making it look that much nastier.

I think Steph's is flashier, but I actually think Kyrie's is better in a practical sense for what he does.

Either way, both are sick.

 

[Cusefan0307]

All this talk about these awesome point guards has me praying the cards line up and the Knicks end up with Russell/Mudiay at 4.

 

[Knicks411]

I would take Curry over Paul. I th ink Paul is awesome, and worth pointing out that that even without a ton of shooting the Clippers had the #1 offense in the league, but I just think Steph's shooting changes the game in such a significant way

 

[longislandcuse]

All this talk about these awesome point guards has me praying the cards line up and the Knicks end up with Russell/Mudiay at 4.

Doesn't seem like the Knicks have any interest in Mudiay. #Triangle

Oh good, another team I root for who selects players based on system and not talent.

 

[Melancer46]

Doesn't seem like the Knicks have any interest in Mudiay. #Triangle

Oh good, another team I root for who selects players based on system and not talent.

If it makes you feel any better, it looks like all the main mock draft guys are starting to project Porzingis to go third so the Knicks can get Russell.

 

[Cusefan0307]

If it makes you feel any better, it looks like all the main mock draft guys are starting to project Porzingis to go third so the Knicks can get Russell.

Please.